Craft beer, a phenomenon of fashion, but also of taste

Microbrewery Fridays - Jonas Follonier

The experts say it: the greatest pleasure in drinking a beer is the sensation of feeling it flow down your throat. Long before taste, it's the sense of touch that links the hopped beverage to our emotions. The essence of beer is eminently sensual, even erotic. Who could deny this after the universal experience of a cold mug at the end of a hot summer afternoon, with the smell of the first merguez of the evening?

But be warned, the redneck side of beer - and we all have our redneck side - was sublimated a few years ago by a nobler dimension, restoring to this old beverage all the gastronomic power that once characterized it. Yes, of course, it's possible to drink something other than a Carlsberg or a Heineken. Gone are the days of drinking draught beer willy-nilly. Now you have to order the real thing, the taste.

Long before the brewing industry took over, levelling down the taste of beer, Switzerland had a locally rooted brewing culture. Today, this Swiss know-how is being revitalized, less as a legacy than as a movement inspired by international recipes and production methods. Today's brewers are in their twenties and forties, dressed in the latest fashion. hipster and are above all enthusiasts, embarking on a frothy adventure from which they don't necessarily expect to make a financial profit.

The scale of this phenomenon is not marginal, but unique in the world. Although France, Belgium, Germany, Canada and the USA have also seen the emergence of numerous craft breweries since the 1990s on average, Switzerland is the country with the most craft breweries in the world. the highest number of microbreweries per capita in the world (409 breweries in 2013). This record is due in no small part to the foresight and anticipation of the Federal Council, which saw the emergence of new local breweries as an interesting economic potential and so relaxed legislation to encourage the development of microbreweries.

It has to be said, too, that the Swiss have an entrepreneurial mentality, which explains why so many young adults are embarking on this kind of venture, even though the difficulties of breaking into the field are legion. Since it's often a passion, we also understand this boom when we consider the extent to which the country's living conditions, the economic and social affluence of its inhabitants, its security and its education system, allow such an activity to flourish. Switzerland, and in particular the German-speaking part of the country, is also at the forefront of organic farming, which contributes to people's attraction to local, ecological products.

The consequences of such a boom in craft beers are gratifying from several angles. Firstly, and this may seem surprising, per capita beer consumption has fallen from 71 liters in 1990 to around 57 liters in 2009. Quality therefore seems to be gaining the upper hand over quantity, according to Laurent Mousson. As we said at the outset, taste is of growing interest to consumers, and this is the second strength of the phenomenon, this time from a gastronomic angle. Finally, the public's growing interest in brewing culture is reflected in the educational dimension of these young breweries.

For all these reasons Le Regard Libre has decided to devote a weekly column to Swiss microbreweries. We're keeping up with the times. For once, it's not just a question of fashion, but also of taste. In every sense of the word.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © La Nébuleuse